The Longer Haul

The Top Apps in My Toolbox

Yeah this is the 4s…I still have the 4s. Partly because I am waiting for the 6…mostly because I’m cheap.

The right tool can make or break the job you are working on. If you have a smart phone or tablet there are apps that keep you in line and (hopefully) make your life easier and more productive. Here is a list of mine. To be noted these are all iPhone or iPad apps:

I’m not sure what I would do without the Evernote app in my toolbox. I use Evernote to keep track of almost everything. Within Evernote your notes are organized in notebooks. You can create as many as you would like. I keep all my receipts, sermon ideas, ministry thoughts and ideas, personal thoughts, events details, and on…and on…and on. One tip with Evernote. Go all in from the start. Use it for everything or you will struggle to find it helpful. If I had to pick one tool in my toolbox to keep, it would be Evernote.

Great little app for tracking prayer requests. Allows you to set reminders and send texts/email/call from within the app. No more promising you will pray for someone and forgetting (admit it…you do this too)

When it comes to an app for downloading and listening to podcasts I have found none better than Downcast. I prefer this app so much more than the native Podcast app.

Pressgram

I LOVE the Pressgram app. It is an equivalent to Instagram with two HUGE exceptions. For one, unlike Instagram you keep the ownership rights to your images. Secondly, if you have a WordPress site (.org or.com) , you can post directly to it from the app. I use this for both this blog as well as our student ministry site. So ditch Instagram, keep your images and content, and post to your blog.

I use the Feedly app as my blog reader. I love this app. When Google Reader went away I needed to find something else. I used Flipboard for a while before finding Feedly. Both are great, but I enjoy Feedly more.

If I’m honest I am easily distracted and struggle at times to be creative and effective. The Coffitivity app allows you to play music overtop of “coffee shop” noise. This really helps me stay on task and be more productive. The great thing about Coffitivity is that you can also access it from your browser. Try it…it works. WARNING: it does make you want coffee.

Echofon is a great twitter app. It allows me to add multiple accounts and it syncs with Buffer (see below). I have also used Tweetcaster but was always annoyed that to view websites it used readability. Tweet to would be another I would go to, but it doesn’t sync with Buffer so Echofon it is.

This is one of my favorite apps. Buffer basically takes your tweets that you add to buffer (via Echofon, Feedly, or directly) and spaces them out throughout the day for you at preset intervals. This keeps you from sending out a gazillion tweets at once and gives more of a consistent presence throughout the day. If you are not using Buffer, you definitely should give it a try.

Of course there are Bible apps, study tool apps, etc., that I use as well. These apps that I’ve listed here however, are the apps that help keep me sane and on task.

Please leave a comment and let me know what apps you are using in your toolbox. I would love to learn from you as well!

I like the list. Some I am using, and some I will try. Also, what do you use for the tweets that can be made from your blog? I use “click to tweet”, but I never have figured out how to track it if someone does “tweet” it.

Not sure if you are using the website Click to Tweet or the plug-in. I have heard of a bunch of folks using the website, but I use a WordPress Plug-in called “Click to Tweet.” The plug-in works really well for me and is really easy to set up and use.

That is a great question Matthew! I would say no, I don’t think an effective Youth Pastor has to have a smartphone. It certainly can be a help though. I think the really important thing is to have a system in place that works for you and allows you to accomplish what is needed. There are tons of things about having a smart phone that can just as easily distract me from being as effective as I could be. I would say figure out a system and stick with what works.